Not location specific, No rules: Welcome to ILX heaven

Largs is not great when you are in a broken down car and it's cold and you don't have any money and aren't dressed for walking about outside because you thought you were just going for a wee run in the car.

I wish I could say I was more productive. But I can't. :(

Spending much of the past year being an English person in Northern Ireland (was going to type Norn Irn but maybe that counts as interweb comedy accent) I worried that I would one day say something like "sure that's grand so it is" and have everyone round on me for taking the piss out of them when it is only that their speech patterns are kind of addictive and after a while there I find myself thinking like that.

Even now I'm back home it only takes a few threads of the NI music scene ILX-equivalent to get me thinking like that. Plus we don't have great words like "lalty" back here, take pity on us. But no matter how much my brain starts doing the accent I don't think I could do it out loud anyway so maybe I'm safe.

(Comedy Irish accents only dragged out in my family when my father declares things an ecumenical matter, which is probably just as bad, but still)

Impersonation of specific fictional character. I deem it allowable.

I wish I had done some work today. Instead I started more scrabulous games than I can reasonably play, and now I'm watching First Knight. Again. But only the good bits.

I finally got paid for work done 3+ months ago. lol freelance chump!

The check was big enough that the bank is putting a hold on the funds while it clears, so it'll be closer to FOUR months after the work done before I can call myself paid.

This is part of the reason I gave up freelancing. It's no fun having to threaten people with solicitors' letters to get them to fucking well pay you for work you did for them.

I bitch, but it wasn't totally unexpected, so I was able to set aside in May and June to keep from getting into a tight spot. (Didn't even have to dip into the Hamsterjam fund to do it!) Actually, getting six big checks a year has taught me a lot about money management.

If there's one thing I've learned about money management, it's not to leave it to Mister M. He likes to put our money in electronics.

Right, time for bed. The film has got to the boring bits in London now, with all the love and family and no more heraldry. BORING!

ah accents...a lot of people said in college I sound like Bob Geldof, which is pretty terrible but when I hear my voice recorded or something I do notice a little resemblance. probably means middle class Dublin accent or something. oh well!

Man I am feeling v. ill. I'm staying home tomorrow.

And G. is gone for the second night b/c his dad had surgery.

bored and too sick feeling to do anything fun like guitar hero.

that sucks :(

thanks trish and misery for your lovely support on the other thread! much appreciated. i think mr. white may have also given some support, but it was all in french so i can't be sure.

(not that i give a flying fuck what anyone else's 'judgement' of my situation is)

I was going to say pretty much what trish said too, fwiw, but she got there first. anyway, trish is sensible and I am slow. And good luck with it all!

Not giving a flying fuck about lame idiots on the interweb is an important thing.

also, sometimes, easier said that done.

than, not that. it is late. i need sleep.

you guyz RULE. obviously i will keep you updated with whether it works out splendidly. or whether it all FALLS TO SHIT!

honestly though - i have been through some bad shit in my time, and have all kinds of reasons to be pessimistic and negative and cynical about 'love', but i've never been so sure about something in my life.

(oh i sound like some lame rom-com movie)

Do you have a job and accommodation and stuff all lined up?

I would say moving to the Bay Area in general is not a bad thing.

than, not that. it is late. i need sleep.

It's early here and I need sleep.

accommodation is lined up, but no job. not worried though, as it's a few months away yet, and i imagine waitressing is something i could get prettily easily, with all the experience i have.

Wait. What did I miss??

Oh wait, read it. That doesn't seem bad at all (the reaction I mean). Ruby, all the advice I can give that might be of any use is: don't live with them. At first, move over and have a place of your own. That way, should the worst come to the worst (and I'm very sure it won't!), you at least don't need to worry about a roof over your head.

Also buy an open-ended return ticket. You might not need it for years and even then just for a quick trip home but when you're broke and far from home it's always nice to have a get out available.

</sermon>

kv_lol speaks sense. Especially about the not living together thing. I wanted to say that but didn't want to sound preachy. Moving in with someone is scary and stressful at the best of times, but I imagine it would be scary and stressful to the power of shit if your entire lifestyle is dependent on it working out that way and you haven't even spent quality real time with each other prior to invading each other's privacy 24/7.

(and yes, well done me on the not sounding preachy thing)

kv_lol speaks sense

Plz 2 have made into t shirt 4 meh?

http://i23.tinypic.com/315fvog.jpg

Onimo I kiss u.

Right, I am officially in the job market.

My job is officially in the market :(

Aldo, have you handed in your notice, or are you just pissed off with your job?

Wait. What onimo?

Why aldo?

Ha, I too am officially in the jobs market as well (well, will be in a fortnight).

Al, what happened? You've been down this road before, pushed you too hard this time?

I haven't handed in my notice yet, but I have told one or two people formally (as of an hour ago) I am in the market and have had three speculative offers on the basis that I may be available already.

Basically, I've had enough. I work fucking miracles (for example, last year I did in 6 months what would normally take 2-3 years, and saved the taxpayer at least £15M in the process) with no money, and for no money (about half of what I'd get paid in industry). We reorganised in April and the upshot of that is likely to be 1 in 3 job cuts. Then last night I got a phone call advising me of a meeting that was happening this morning that I was being painted as the fall guy for. The word 'fraud' was used. I spent an hour gathering enough signed documents to make me bulletproof, then went to the pub. I had an hour this morning handing them over, but the people I'm dropping in it are sufficiently senior to me I can see any evidence being ignored.

Hang on, there goes the phone again...

Keep at it man. Least you know that you're right and can do a great job. Fuck 'em.

:-(

Still, remember what happened the last time :-)

(also if you can get paid 2x in industry, go there!)

onimo, is your job in danger with these job cuts? Also, Al, can you get a lawyer involved to make sure things aren't ignored?

I have a friend going through a similarly crap time with his work (allegations of fraud etc) which has led to him resigning (and missing out on megabucks redundancy deal into the bargain). He has excellent evidence on his side proving he is right. We're all screaming "constructive dismissal" at him, but he won't bite, figuring the hassle isn't worth it. I can't blame him, some people here might remember I had a similar situation about four years ago which had constructive dismissal written all over it, but I couldn't go through with it so I'm not really in a position to encourage others to do otherwise.

I'm waiting to see what happens in the meeting that's currently going on before I work out whether I need representation or not. Also, that's what the union is for.

Righto, I didn't have the aid of a union in my case, and I don't think my friend does either (but his girlfriend has just qualified as a lawyer, which helps)

My job is in danger from these cuts but is in more immediate danger from other things that I can't discuss publicly atm.

I have an uniong, here is a picture of it

http://www.antonraubenweiss.com/expo/photos-small/KIF_5198.JPG

Fair enough, you can tell me over a pint on Wednesday (or email me). My job is no longer, hurrah, I am a free womang and shall be requiring a new job forthwith.

Can you tell me on work email?

Also, paper tiger hahaha (have to laff else cry)

aldo. Can you check facebook?

Not at work, no. Will be able to see when I get home, 4-ish.

Hmmmm. If I webmail you on this does it go to you now or still at home?

Aldo I emailed yr work re jobs.

Oh, you know that, you've replied :)

(I hate people using forums to tell people they've emailed them tbh, every time I do it I annoy myself)

Everything goes home kv, don't sweat it.

Just don't agree, sign or do anything. Don't even allow a meeting to happen, do not agree to take a phone call. Basically, cut yourself off from the whole thing and work normally. I cannot emphasis inaction enough here!

That was my strategy anyway. ;-)